Boston's MFA to receive 113 Dutch, Flemish works

Wednesday

Oct 11, 2017 at 4:50 PMOct 15, 2017 at 12:03 PM

Jody Feinberg The Patriot Ledger

BOSTON –The Museum of Fine Arts will receive 113 works of 17th century Dutch and Flemish Art, a landmark gift which will double the museum’s collection in this area and make it one of the country’s foremost.

“This gift of beautifully preserved paintings will fill major gaps in the collection and allow us to present the full range of artistic production in the Netherlands in the 17th century in varied and meaningful ways,” said Ronni Baer, William and Ann Elfers Senior Curator of Paintings.

Donated by private collectors Rose-Marie and Eijk van Otterloo and Susan and Matthew Weatherbie, the two collections have works by Rembrandt, Jan Steen, Peter Paul Rubens and 73 other artists. The Boston-area collectors also are funding the creation of a major research library and the establishment of a Center for Netherlandish Art at the MFA, the first of its kind in the United States.

Known as works from the Golden Age, a selection of 42 will be exhibited in the MFA’s European galleries through Jan. 15. Highlights are Rembrandt’s Portrait of Aeltje Uylenburgh (1632), Cuyp’s Orpheus Charming the Animals (about 1640), and Honthorst’s A Merry Group behind a Balustrade with a Violin and a Lute Player (about 1623). At a later time the museum will receive the remaining portraits, genre scenes, landscapes, seascapes, still lifes, cityscapes and architectural paintings.

“It’s a huge a huge moment for the museum,” said public relations director Karen Frascona. “It’s the greatest gift of European painting in our history.”

The Center for Netherlandish Art, expected to launch in 2020, will be dedicated to preserving, studying and sharing the art from what is known as The Golden Age with museums, universities, scholars, students and curators in New England and around the world.

The Haverkamp-Begemann Library will have more than 20,000 monographs, catalogues and rare books assembled by the late art historian Egbert Haverkamp-Begemann.

“Truly, the whole will be greater than the sum of the parts,” said MFA director Matthew Teitelbaum. “We are honored to display, preserve and care for these masterworks, share them with the world, and nurture generations of scholars in the years ahead.”

Jody Feinberg may be reached at jfeinberg@ledger.com or follow on Twitter @JodyF_Ledger.